Karen Neuburger, a Marin County mother of two whose comfy cotton loungewear and home decor have brought her celebrity cult status, is a whirlwind of pink these days -- from her bubblegum-colored reading specs to her fuchsia Converse high tops. She's about to board a polka-dotted, rosy RV that will shuttle her across the country to more than 10 pajama parties celebrating the release of her first book, "The Secret Language of Girlfriends: Talking Loudly, Laughing Wildly and Making the Most of Our Most Important Friendships" (Hyperion, $16.95).

A 212-page celebration of life in the "pink zone," the book offers a mix of serious passages about divorce and disease with lighthearted anecdotes from women like the moms in Montclair, N.J., who gather monthly for their People magazinebook club -- instead of discussing Descartes, they dish about dueling divas and rocky Hollywood romances.

The project, Neuburger said, was inspired largely by her own close-knit group of female friends (her "Broad Squad"), and it spans the years from her high school days in Duluth, Minn., working as a sportswear buyer for a 20- store retail chain to starting her own small company sewing pajamas in her kitchen.

It also details the 1996 life-changing telephone call from Oprah Winfrey, who after ordering dozens of sets of pajamas to send to her friends for Christmas gifts, called back to order hundreds more to feature on her "Favorite Things" show. (The book is dedicated to Oprah, who features Neuberger's specially designed Book Club jammies and socks on her Web site).

The exposure catapulted Neuburger's company into the stratosphere. Based in a two-story office complex in San Rafael, it has nearly 100 employees and designs more than a dozen product lines, from bath and body products to scrapbooking supplies and mattresses.

With her blond, shoulder-length shag hair and energetic demeanor, she's gotten used to being mistaken "almost every day" for a certain other lifestyle maven, but it doesn't bother her because, as Neuburger put it: "Martha's an attractive woman, and all anybody has to do is talk to me for five minutes and they figure out I'm not Martha."

Still, her wish list of future projects includes creating a magazine and a television show, even opening hotels and operating a cruise ship, so stay tuned. We caught up with the pink-clad entrepreneur just as she was preparing to travel to the Mall of America in Minnesota to kickoff the Girlfriend Getaway Tour, which will wrap up with two Bay Area appearances next month.

Q: In your book, you list the Top Ten Girlfriend Rules, and the first one is "Keep Secrets." Are you at all worried about spilling the beans regarding women's innermost thoughts and workings?

A: No, girlfriendship is a movement, and it's about time we told the world that we're not catty and backstabbing; we can be team players and supportive just like the good old men's club has been for years. By far, the great majority of women that I have met have extremely supportive girlfriends who bring caring and wellness and support and ease and laughter to their lives. That's what I want people to know.

Q: So how did you come to refer to your group of friends as the Broad Squad? Is that a phrase you actually use with each other or something you just used in writing the book?

A: I've had my Broad Squad for years. That's another story in itself, how we name our girlfriends. If I caught it from anyplace, I happen to be a big Frank Sinatra fan. I love all his music and he tended to call women broads, but with a very affectionate bent. Some people might object to it, but my broads don't.

Q: How have people's pajama preferences changed over the 10 years or so that you've been designing them?

A: Comfort hasn't changed, but women also want to look good. Those are two very key issues, but this year everything is very girlie as far as the fashions (and) colors -- lots of pinks, yellows and aqua. We really follow the ready-to-wear market in that way, but people love what they love. We have lots of women who will always wear pajamas, and I'm one. Oprah's a pajama wearer; however, (Oprah's best friend) Gayle (King) loves gowns. But there are innovations, like our cool dry comfort, which actually wicks the moisture away from your body, because there are women young and old who just get hot in bed.

Q: Recently, the company launched the line in Singapore. Why was that location your first international choice? How is the line is doing over there?

A: It's doing extremely well. As a matter of fact, they're talking about more boutiques and "at-home wear" stores in Asia. That was the natural choice because it was the headquarters of the company we partnered with in Asia, but the whole market is hungry for American goods.

Q: I was surprised that of all the girlfriend groups mentioned in the book, there was no reference to the Red Hat Society, an increasingly popular social group for women over 50, who regularly get together with their girlfriends. Coincidentally, they also have their own magazine, merchandise and scrapbooking materials.

A: I think they're great, they're wonderful. They manage to get together as girlfriends, and I don't care if you're bowling, or what, as long as you're out there getting together with your friends, it's good.